Hydroaeroplane



s. H. TOLMAN.

HYDROAEROPLANE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 10. 19!].

Patented Aug. 26, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

fizve7cz o7- ScaiiE fo Zyzzam S. H. TOLMAN.

HYDROAEROPLANE.

APPLICATION man JULY 10. 1911.

Patented Aug. 26,1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- SCOTT H. TOLMAN, OF-BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

HYDROAEROPLILNE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 26, 1919.

Application filed July 10, 1917. Serial No. 179,633.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, Sco'rr H. TOLMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts,have invented new and useful Improvements in Hydroaeroplanes, of

which the following is a specification.

This invention relates in some respects to aeroplanes generally, andsome respects to hydroplanes generally, while in other respects itrelates to hydroaeroplanes.

A craft embodying the present invention would have fore-and-aft troughsin the sustaining surface of the aeroplane portion, and would have oneor more propellers arranged under said sustaining surface so as to actupon the sustaining air in said troughs, the propellers in such locationbeing more effective than they would be elsewhere because the sustainingair is rendered relatively dense by the load of the craft. I prefer toprovide the aeroplane with a body portion of relatively long andrelatively narrow proportions, and to provide a sustaimng sur ace longerthan the body portion and arranged to overhang the bow and stern of thelatter, thereby giving the craft great longitudinal stability. I preferto make the frame of the body portion and the frame of the aeroplaneportion as one intogral frame, so that the sustaining surface of theaeroplane portion may be a continuation of the external surface of thebody portion, and I therefore make such unitary frame structure of ribs,spacing members, struts and braces, all preferably of metal and each.preferably of channel-shape crosssection, and I arrange the ribs andspacing members in flush relation so as to form a grid to afford asuitable foundation for a sheathing of thin flexible sheet metal orother suitable material. The latter may be fastened to the framestructure by any suitable means, but, when made of metal, I prefer tofasten it by spot Welding.

The body portion is preferably made in the form of a car or boat, toprovide a suitable housing for passengers, machinery, and in some casesfor freight and to afford sufficient buoyancy to enable the craft tofloat on water. In respect to being sustained by water the body portionis preferably broader at the bottom than at its upper part, theintermediate portion that connects the hydroplane portion and theaeroplane portion being relatively narrow and constituting a hollow web.I

One of the characteristic features of the hydroplane portion is thetrough-shape of its bottom, the latter comprising two runners and anintermediate gliding portion connecting said runners but being above theplane of the bottoms of the runners. The runners are buoyant inconsequence of be ing hollow. They are adapted to run upon or in thewater, and are separated from each other to afford the necessary degreeof lateral stability according to the wellknown principle of acatamaran. The structurediffers from that of a catamaran in that thespace between the runners is not open but is bridged by another glidingelement, the trough formed by the runners and intermediate elementserving to confine the water, air, or both upon which the intermediateelement is traveling. The trough S0 formed is preferably deeper at thebow than elsewhere, and is graduated in depth toward the stern where itsdepth is least. The width of the trough, however, is substantiallyuniform throughout. In consequence of graduating the trough as aforesaidthe craft gains buoyancy as its speed onthe water increases, because agreater volume of water or air or both can enter the trough at the bowthan the volume that can pass through the restricted area of the troughat the stern. The difference in volume must find its escape elsewhereand'consequently it tends to lift the structure from the water infinding lateral escape under the runners.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

which show the present invention in what Fig. 4 represents a verticalcross-section in a plane at or about the mid-portion of the structure,looking aft.

bow and stern. The body of the craft comprises a hydroplane portion,indicated as a" whole at 11, and a web portion 12 connecting thehydroplane portion and the aeroplane ortion. The portions 11 and 12,conointly, form' a unitary hollow structure of sufficient proportions,and of suflicient buoyancy, to sustain the weight of the entlre craftwhen the latter is in water. The space within the body is suflicient tocontain the engines and other elements of the propelling machinery, allthe other necessary 1 equipment, accommodations for passengers, an

freight.

The hydroplane portion 11 has a troughshaped bottom including twosubstantially parallel flat runners 13, 13, and an intermediate glidingplane 14: above, between, and connecting the runners As shown best byFig. 2 the trough is deeper at the bow than at the stern, and isgraduated in depth throughout its len h, being thereby adapted to admita re atively large volume of water or air or both at the bow, butaffording a relatively restricted channel for. the escape of water andair at the stern. This formation is effective to overcome the tendencyof the stern to settle deeply 1n the water when the craft is proceedingahead, and it facilitates the rising of the craft when the latter isabout to leave the water. As shown by Figs. 1 and 2 the intermediateflat gliding portion 14 extends beyond the stern limits of the runners,thus carrying out the principle .last explained, to a greater degreethan if said ntermediate portion endedcoincidentally with the runners.The runnersare relatively narrow at] the bow as shown by Figs. 1 and 3,to enable them to cleave the water readily, and they increase in widthtoward the mid-section as shown by Figs. 3 and 4, and maintain theirwidth to a considerable extent, if not entirely, to the stern, as shownby Figs. 1 and 5. 4

The aeroplane portion and body portion are formed by a unitary framestructure, and a thin sheathing inclosing the latter. The framestructure comprises a series of transverse frame members or ribs 15, andtransverse frame members 16. The members 15 are within the fore-and-aftlimits of the imam? traverses said portion to the web portion, 1

curving downwardly and traversing the. body portion on one side to'on'eof the runners, thence across thetrough-shaped bottom, thence upwardlyonthe opposite side of the .body portion, thence curving outwardly tothe opposite edge of the aeroplane portion. Within the fore-and-aftlimits of the body portion the aeroplane portion is divided into twosections by the body portion, but beyond the said limits the aeroplaneportion is not interrupted, and the frame members 16 therefore serve toform merely the bow and stern of the aeroplane portion. The framemembers 15 are spaced and braced by frame members 17 that extend foreand aft, and are otherwise braced by struts 18 and 19, thelatteraffording a support ,for flooring. The aeroplane portion includestransverse ribs or frame members 20, which are arranged above themembers 15 and 16 but connected with the latter by struts 21. The depthof the aeroplane portion of the frame structure is greater in the middlethan elsewhere, and diminishes toward the edges.

The frame structure is inclosed in a sheathing of thin sheet material22, pref erably sheet steel, but the wing portions may be sheathed withany suitable material. This sheathing of whatever material is used isfittedclosely to the frame work-throughout the body portion of thecraft, and upon the upper side of the aeroplane portion, but on theunder side of the aeroplane portion it is divided into a plurality ofarches or troughs by longitudinal ribs 23. The 101 11.,

frame structure are united substantially as shown by Fig. 6, with a viewto affording a suitable bearing surface for the sheathing 22. Thetransverse frame members 15 and 1-6, and the spacing members 17 are ofU- shape or channel cross-section, and they are alljpreferably arrangedso that their edges face outwardly to engage the sheathing. The saidedges are arranged in flush relation, the transverse frame members 15and 16 each being continuous from tip to" tip, but the spacing members17 being cutto short lengths each equal ,tothe space be tween twoadjacent rib members, and curved at its ends to conform' tothelcurva-ture of the rib members. Thus, although a series of spacingmembers 17 may be arranged in alinement with each other as shown by Fig.6 they are not continuous, and may be offset from alinement wherevernecessary. The members 17 are united with the members 15 or 16, as thecase may be, by welding them or otherwise regularly fastening them atthe points of intersection, although the members 17 do not actuallyintersect the rib members. The frame structure is thus madesubstantially integral, and the walls are of uniform thickness Withoutany shoulders for which allowance would have to be made in fitting themetal portions of the sheathing to it. The sheathing are fastenedv tothe frame structure at a sufficient number of points by spot welding,the frame structure being thereby reinforced by the sheathing, and agreat degree of additional rigidity being conferred upon the framestructure in consequence thereof. Such reinforcing by the sheathing doesnot, of course, occur on the under side of the aeroplane \portion wherethe sheathing is held away from the main frame structure by thelongitudinal ribs 23 that divide it into arches or troughs ashereinbefore explained, but throughout the upper side of the aeroplaneportion, and throughout the body portion the sheathing affords suchreinforcement. If sheet material other than metal be employed for thesheathing, it may be secured to the frame by any suitable means.

The craft is driven by propellers 24, and

the latter are preferably arranged adjacent the junctions of the bodyportion and the aeroplane portions that extend laterally in oppositedirections therefrom. At these points the sustaining air is confinedmore than elsewhere, and, being compressed by the load, is relativelydense, and the propellers are more effective in said locations than theywould be elsewhere. Although the curvature of the sheathing is notstrictly that of an are at these points the propellers are nearlyconcentric to the curvature, and the cross-sectional contour of thesheathing is thus utilized toincrease the effectiveness of thepropellers. There would preferably be a plurality of propellers on eachside of the body portion, and they would be arranged in tandem relationas shown by Fig. 2. i x

A rudder 25 having trunnions 26 is mounted in bearings afiordedrespectively by the projecting stern of the body portion and by theoverhanging aeroplane portion. The bottom edge of the rudder is in aslow a plane as the hydroplane surface 14 and is therefore adapted to bepartly submerged in water when the craft is traveling on water. At thesame time the greater portion of the rudder would be above the waterlevel so that it could act upon the air that traverses the fore-and-afttroughs in which the propellers 24 are arranged. The forward edge of therudder is a considerable distance forward of the axis, and is movablebeyond the sides of the adjacent web portion 12 of the body, which isvery narrow at the stern, as shownby Fig. 5. When the forward edge ofthe rudder is turned aside beyond the web portion 12 the air traversingone side of the web portion will be deflected by the opposite side ofthe rudder.

I claim:

1. A hydroplane consisting of a hollow buoyant body tapered at the bow,said body having along its bottom two parallel fiat hollow'ribs orrunners and an intermediate reentrant trough which is deeper at the bowthan at the stern and of substantially uniform width, the walls formingthe sides of the trough and the inner sides of the runners convergingupwardly, substantially as described.

2. A hydroaeroplane comprising a boat body having on its bottom parallelflat runners and an intervening trough, forming sustaining and glidingsurfaces, an intermediate fore-and-aft web arranged centrally 'above thebody, and curved lateral projections from said web constituting wings orplanes said wings or planes extending beyond the bow and stern of saidboat body.

3. A hydroaeroplane comprising a sheathed hydroplane portion havingparallel runners and an intermediate gliding surface, a sheathedfore-and-aft web portion extending upwardly from the midddle thereof,and two arched aeroplane portions extending laterally in oppositedirections from said web portion.

4. A hydroaeroplane comprising a hollow hydroplane portion, a hollowfore-and-aft web portion extending upwardly therefrom, said portionsconjointly forming a single sheathed hollow structure, and an aeroplaneportion adjoining the upper part of and constituting lateral-portionsfrom said'web portion.

5. A hydroaeroplane comprising a hydroplane portion havinga'trough-shaped bottom, a hollow web portion extending upwardly fromsaid hydroplane portion in the middle thereof, and aeroplane portionsextending laterally in op osite directions from said web portion andeyond the sides and ends of the hydroplane portion.

6. A hydroaeroplane comprising a hollow hydroplane portion, the body ofwhich has parallel flat runners on its under side, a hollow fore-and-aftweb portion extending upwardly from the middle thereof and merging intothe body of the hydroplane, and aeroplane portions extending laterally1n opposite directions from said web portion, said web portion beingwider in the midle than at the bow and stern and tapering toward the bowand stern.

7. A hydroaeroplane comprising a substantially flat elongatedhydroplane, wings or airplane portions, an intermediate hollowfore-and-aft centrally disposed-rib, the walls of the hydroplane beingincurved and mergportions of the walls of the rib out-curving andmerging in the under sides of the wings, and propellers arranged at thesides of the rib within the hollows formed by the curved sides of thebody, rib and wings.

8. A hydroaeroplane comprising a frame 7 structure including ahydroplane portion, an

aeroplane portion, a Web portion connecting 7 them, said frame structureincluding a series of continuous transverse frame-forming ribstraversing said hydroplane portion, said web portion, and said aeroplaneportion, and a sheathing inclosing said structure.

9. A hydroaeroplane comprising a frame structure including a hollowhydroplane portion having a trough-shaped bottom forming parallel flatrunners, an aeroplane portion, and a web portion, connecting them, saidframe structure including a series of continuous transverseframe-forming ribs traversing said hydroplane portion and said Webportion, and the trough-shaped bottom.

10. A hydroaeroplane comprising an intenames? mediate centrally-disposedhollow rib or w'eb,'said structure comprising a series of continuousframe-forming ribs and trans verse connecting ribs, and sheathingsupported exteriorly thereon and constituting the walls of the body weband wing portions of said hydroaeroplane.

11. A hydroaeroplanecomprising a hollow hydroplane body havin aprojecting stern, an aeroplane above sai 'body portion and overhangingsaid stern, an intermediate centrally-arranged hollow web less in lengththan the body and the aeroplane, a rudder arranged at the end of the Webbetween said stern and said overhanging portion, a top bearing for saidrudder afforded by said overhanging airplane, and a bottom bearing forsaid rudder afiorded by said stern of the bod 11 1 testimony whereofIhave aiiixed my signature.

SCOTT H. TOLMAN.

